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Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

The #1 topic on Miami sports radio stations this morning was not the win over Minnesota, or 15 games, or their next game (Orlando), or the game after that (Philly).

It was about Sunday, March 10, 6PM.

FWIW, most fan callers don't worry at all about the Pacers, but every basketball analyst or person regularly covering the NBA were saying it really should be something to watch since the Pacer seem to have the style to give the Heat the most trouble.

We have their attention.

The poster "pacertom" since this forum began (and before!). I changed my name here to "Slick Pinkham" in honor of the imaginary player That Bobby "Slick" Leonard picked late in the 1971 ABA draft (true story!)

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

You are a debbie-downer, this is a team that played like crap against the Clippers last week and still was with in 4 pts of a victory in the final minute. Pacers have alot of fight, and their defense can lock down any opponent. We turned the ball over a ton in that game and the Clippers just like the Heat thrive on turnovers. We will be fine, just need to dictate the pace of the pace of the pace of the game.

That's the key and my main point. The Pacers have to be hitting on all cylinders in order for them to beat the Heat ON THE ROAD ( no less ). If we play like we played on Sunday...heck, even the last few games ( yes, wins...but at times....sloppy wins )....we won't win IMHO.

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

SERIOUSLY??? WTF is the point of NBATv?? I pay a bizzillion $$ for league pass(that works about 75% of the time) and still miss one of the big games of the year because it is on NBATV. That is stupid. We better win. I don't want to compound my night of having to go to a bar to be surrounded by HEAT fans with a Loss and a large bar tab.

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

SERIOUSLY??? WTF is the point of NBATv?? I pay a bizzillion $$ for league pass(that works about 75% of the time) and still miss one of the big games of the year because it is on NBATV. That is stupid. We better win. I don't want to compound my night of having to go to a bar to be surrounded by HEAT fans with a Loss and a large bar tab.

That was the slogan that LeBron James adopted — and endorsement company Nike co-opted — following the Heat’s 2012 championship. For someone of whom so much was expected, and who has embraced those expectations with proclamations, it was a reminder that it can be, and should be, an arduous slog toward the spoils.

Now that James is a defending champion, as well as the runaway leader for a repeat NBA MVP award, that slogan seems to apply to the respect level accorded his opponents. That was evident again in his reply, after Miami’s 17th straight win Friday night, to a question about whether he deems the Indiana Pacers to be the Heat’s primary rival in the East.

“Against Boston, Chicago more than Indiana,” James said. “We’ve only had one series with those guys. So I would say it’s Boston. In our first year, we played those guys in the second round, and then last year we played in the Eastern Conference finals. And I have a lot of history with them before I got here, as well as the guys who have come here before. Indiana’s not a rival at this point.”

Maybe Indiana’s not a rival, but the Pacers still represent an extraordinary nuisance, whether in pushing the Heat to six games in the second round last year, pushing them around Jan. 8 and Feb. 1 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse, or pushing their buttons with assorted antagonistic quotes and actions — from coach Frank Vogel characterizing Heat players as floppers to the now-injured Danny Granger’s frisky play against James to Lance Stephenson giving James the choke sign to Roy Hibbert’s odd “little man” complex, in which the 7-foot-2 center keeps saying things like this to the Indianapolis Star:

“We play with a little bit of a chip on our shoulder, and a little bit of swag. I mean, they get a lot of the calls. They’re the superstar team. We just take it personal and try to go at them.”

Maybe Indiana’s not a rival, but Sunday evening’s game still represents the last truly interesting matchup on the Heat’s regular-season calendar, not so much for the standings (Miami is a cinch to win the East), the streak (players aren’t emphasizing that as much as the media) or for making a statement, with James saying that “we know where we stand when it counts.”

“We just played with such a low motor against them, both times, on offense,” Heat forward Shane Battier said of the two losses this season to the Pacers. “And we became stagnant, and our shots were poor. During the last five weeks, our offense has been pretty good.”

This game is interesting largely because many members of the Heat find the Pacers — and any insinuation that Indiana belongs in their elevated airspace — irritating, and the Heat tend to be electric and unstoppable when irritated, so long as they also pinch in a healthy dose of poise.

Simply, the Pacers still have much to prove to James and his teammates, before they will be accorded accolades without caveats.

That six-game series? Well, Heat players privately insist that it might have been so close had Chris Bosh not missed the final five contests with a strained abdominal. The two losses this season? Well, sure, Heat players have acknowledged that the Pacers did a good job of grinding them to a slower pace in their place in January and February, but also remind everyone that it wasn’t the case in the final three games in May, when James and Dwyane Wade absolutely decimated them, combining for 199 points.

Sometimes, they even believe a public reminder is required.

James views himself as an ambassador of the sport, so he tends to be quite charitable with praise, patiently and somewhat comically indulging — to a point — reporters from low-profile NBA cities when they ask for scouting reports of the obscure players they cover. He appears to have less patience when it comes to the Pacers, even if he does call them “a very good team” that will “provide a good test.” One example: After the shootaround in advance of the teams’ last meeting on Feb. 1, James didn’t settle for reciting the rote platitudes.

He had something to say, even if softly.

“Chris got hurt, they took a 2-1 lead and (were) really excited about what was going on and were talking a lot,” James said. “They felt they were the better team, and we took control of the series. … But they’ve been talking a lot. I read a lot of clips that they’ve had before the season that said they were better than us, and they should have beat us, so we’ll be ready.”

Turned out they weren’t ready enough. The 102-89 defeat at Indiana on Feb. 1 marks the last time Miami lost.
What’s changed over the past 17 games?

Improvement that, as with everything else around these parts, was earned, not given.

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire"Everyone's values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others." - William Greider

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Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

George and Stephenson at the wings is a whole 'nother beast compared to Granger and George at the wings defensively.... What Lance lacks in experience he makes up much with his quickness. And Lance's explosiveness adds another dimension for Miami to account for when they are on defense. So I'm not sure how Miami should be looking at last year's playoffs more than this year's games per se'.

Nuntius was right. I was wrong. Frank Vogel has retained his job.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, that’s teamwork."

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

Interesting change in the way the Heat are discussing us. They went from "we really want to beat them, they talk too much." (clearly in their heads) to "nah..they haven't earned the title of our rival...it's just another game."

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Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

Without even going through the thread yet, just my gut feelings on the matter, EXPECT THE LOSS.

Miami is a very good team, very hot the last 3 weeks, has the MVP playing at MVP level, and has already lost to Indy twice on the road. I realize the margin of victories for the Pacers and lord knows I love our BnG boys, but the reality of oddsmaking is that the Pacers don't win this game. It will be a fairly big upset if they do.

So as with all underdogs you can't take a loss, or even a drubbing, too hard. It means nothing even if they win, they aren't going to catch them for the #1 seed, and they still need to win 2 rounds of playoffs to even see Miami any more this season.

It will FEEL bad, but it will have almost no value. Will you be willing to write off Miami's season if they lose? Of course not. People, even Pacers fans, will say "its only the regular season, the playoffs are different". Fans will talk about the Pacers offense facing playoff defenses or how Miami will get all the calls in Miami during the playoffs. And that's if Indy WINS THE GAME. Even then it will be marked by tons of asterisks dismissing the value of it.

So as much as I want to ride the game like a major deal, like the biggest Pacers game of the year (and lord knows I will), there will still be the rational part of me curbing my disappointment in a loss and my excitement in a win. I already know the Pacers CAN BEAT THE HEAT. I don't need this game to validate that theory, and the outcome will not prove or disprove it in the least. If anything a Pacers loss might get Miami feeling too comfortable while pushing the Pacers to dig deeper for the next 35-40 games.

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Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

By the way, this game is more for the national sports media than anyone else. Pacers fans have seen 2 wins already and have the series won. Miami fans will never think the Heat can be stopped till the minute they are.

It's the Bill Simmons types that will read way too much into the outcome of this game. That's who this performance is for. If Indy sweeps then all their stories for the playoffs will assume an Indy-Miami ECF, 19 games before the Pacers can even have #2 wrapped up probably. If Indy loses then it will erase the early wins as "before Miami was trying" and make the story a Miami repeat "unless SAS or OKC can somehow stop them", with a dash of Lakers upset story running as well.

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

I don't think Ian is the difference maker. Bench guard play will be big, Paul's shooting will be big, TOs will be big, and how much the Heat are ready for the new Lance whom they didn't really see even last game.

Miami will get some calls, but a Pacers key will be can they curb Lebron's FG%. If they can keep him at or below 50% and Paul can hit in the 45% range, then I think the rest of the team has enough....unless Ray/Battier types knock down 3s while DJ, OJ and Sam provide nothing.

You know the story that's hidden in all of this - we are no longer talking about the Pacers winning the division. Everyone, not just locals, assumes that Indy has the division wrapped up with 20 games to go. I know Rose isn't back, but neither is Danny and the Bulls have still won a lot of games. And yet the Pacers have put that story to bed, at least for now.

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

I am really not look forward to tomorrow. Maybe it is better to be pessimistic about the game and not be too disapointed in a lose, than be too optimistic and get very disapointed in a lose.
I think we can win, but with the way Miami has been playing, the game being in Miami, and the way the Celtics game ended the other day I am not to confident about us winning.

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

I just had a thought, if we win it could be a big spark in local attention to the team, not just national. Imagine a win, we are the head line story on ESPN and every other national sports show. Heck even Kelly and Micheal will be talking about it. All that attention would get a people talking here in town. With the playoffs approaching people would really start to think we might be able to beat the Heat and go to the finals. More people would probably go to games and buy Pacers gear and everything else. This one game could be the spark we need to get the city behind our Pacers.
Oh crap, now I am getting excited about the game.

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Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

I do expect a loss. Well, the more rational part of me does.

The crazy fandom part of me says:

I can hold onto the rational part up until game time and I can cling to it afterward if the loss comes. But during the game is another story, and the closer it gets to tip-off, the more I start feeling like I have paint on my face and am in sore need of a haircut...

Edit: And I keep looking over there at my avatar. That's Frank during the game we won in Miami during the playoffs last year. It's not helping.

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

"Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well." - Voltaire"Everyone's values are defined by what they will tolerate when it is done to others." - William Greider

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

I am in agreement ( like usual ) with Seth. I am just hoping that we are not totally embaressed tomorrow and that we at least make it a competitive game and don't like like we don't belong on the floor with them.

The Pacers are one of the few Teams that have beaten the Heat ( twice no less )...I get the sense that they want to make yet another Statement game against us....to show the Media and Indy...that the 2 losses meant nothing and that they are the big-dawgs in the East.

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

The whole argument "Heat doesn't care about regular season" (when they lose to us), cracks me up no end. You can see, that they don't care, especially with that record going on right now....
Come on Pacers!

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

They can talk about this game not being important and this isn't a rivalry and blah blah blah, but the media is devoting entire articles to it and the players talk about how much they have improved on both sides of the ball just proves to me that they have this date circled. The Heat will play at NBA Finals intensity tonight because they aren't going down 0-3 on the season, especially in their house. The Pacers will have to be 110% tonight in order to win, and I just hope we didn't use up all our mojo in the Orlando game. I expect a loss, but that's only so I don't get my hopes up, but another loss like the one we had to Boston will make me physically ill.

"I've got an idea--an idea so smart that my head would explode if I even began to know what I'm talking about." - Peter Griffin

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

I can't even begin to explain how much I don't want to go to this game tonight. With the streak and the media hype surrounding all the "Pacers can beat the heat, cause match up issues, etc"....this arena is going to be obnoxious. I'm just worried about the Pacers not staying in this game all the way to the last shot, I really don't want them to got stomped on and find themselves in a hole they can't get out of

That being said CMON PACERS GIVE ME A REASON TO SMILE AMONG THOUSANDS OF HEAT FANS

Re: Looking ahead to the Miami Game: Imagine the Mood Swing

While I am very interested to see what happens in this game. I am not going to overeact to the outcome no matter what it is. But I will be watching veyt closely the matchups and what the Heat try to do against us.

But if the Heat win by 20, I won't panic and if the Pacers win by 20, I won't get all excited. Playoffs are different

If the Pacers come in and hit the Heat in the mouth for a 20 plus margin of victory, each and every one of us should be excited... Given where each team is a respectively, a beat down of the Heat by 20+ would me monumental...